Apollo

I’ve pulled myself away from my irritation over United’s fare class availability removal long enough to read another Flyertalk thread that got me thinking. And I have a quick poll at the bottom of this post asking for your opinion. My parents recently returned from a trip I booked for them on my miles. A…

Keeping up-to-speed with how United’s reservation system processes Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) can be a daunting task. The vast majority of my flying on United Airlines this year came before the system conversion to SHARES on March 3. And all of my United flights since that date have been upgraded through other means – Regional…

Tidbits of information about forthcoming improvements to SHARES, the reservations system for United Airlines, were revealed during the second quarter earnings call last week. In addition to apologizing for a range of customer disservice issues we’ve all experienced since March 3 (seat assignments falling off, missing upgrades, miles not posting, etc.), CEO Jeff Smisek said,…

There have been oodles of articles this week noting United Airlines’ system migration from Apollo to Shares this coming weekend, but very few offer any type of inside scoop as to what exactly will be happening. I found this one from a travel agency perspective that sheds a bit more light on the process and…

In a little more than two weeks, United Airlines will switch reservations systems from Apollo to Shares, merging all itineraries from Continental and United onto one platform. Other carriers who recently made similar technology shifts were plagued with problems when they flipped the switch, but United is hoping to avoid similar embarrassments. United’s CEO Jeff…

Happy anniversary to me! I officially launched this blog one year ago today and when I look back at my initial posts I’m a bit embarrassed at their immaturity, but can see how I’ve developed my writing skills and I’m happy with Frequently Flying today. It’ll only get better. This has been an amazing year…

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Late last Friday US Airways filed a lawsuit against… its own pilots. Upset with what they’re calling an “illegal slowdown” by some East (read: US Airways) pilots, the carrier claims their West (read: America West) pilots are far more efficient in minimizing delays that impact…

A power outage hit Los Angeles airport yesterday afternoon, causing a few flight delays and passenger inconveniences. I had a flight last night and didn’t think anything of it, especially since check-in, security and the Red Carpet Club seemed unaffected when I was there. I went to the gate about an hour before departure to…

Last week, United Airlines made several decisions regarding which systems and technology platforms they will use in the merged airline. Matthew provides an excellent summary table in his blog post on the subject, and I’d like to add my thoughts on a couple of the areas. First, and creating the most discussion, is their decision…